Adults Social Worker – Discharge to Assess

About the role

Adults Social Worker – Discharge to Assess

Permanent, Full Time

£38,487 to £51,834 per annum (plus 6% flat rate allowance)

Location: Colchester & Tendring

Working Style: Community-based worker

Interviews will be held in person at Rowan House, Colchester in late July 2026.

This advert is open to Experienced Qualified Social Worker’s

About Our Social Worker Roles

We’re an adult social care service that wants to see citizens of Essex have as much choice and control over the way they live their lives as possible. We think everyone should have the chance to live a full and fulfilling life with people they love and care about, doing things that matter to them and living in a place they can call home. We’re determined that with the right support, everyone can maintain or achieve some independence and we’re proud to be working to make these ambitions a reality.

Our Social Workers work alongside people and their families and carers to help them think through what might help them get on with their lives in the way that works best for them. We do this within the framework of our statutory Care Act requirements. This means many of our conversations are framed as ‘assessments’, ‘reviews’, ‘support planning’ and ‘safeguarding’. But our aim is always to listen and understand what matters to the person and then to work with them to think through how this might be achieved.

Take a look at our short video here to get a glimpse into the role and what it’s like to be a Social Worker at Essex County Council.

About the Team

We are looking for a passionate and experienced Social Worker to join our Discharge to Assess team in North Essex. This is an opportunity to work in a vibrant and lively Discharge to Assess (D2A) team, with dual role opportunities within the community and as part of the Integrated Discharge Team (IDT) role within the East Suffolk and North Essex Foundation Trust (ESNEFT). The role may require being based at multiple sites across Colchester and Tendring for up to 5 days per week.

The team support people who are in hospital, have recently been discharged from hospital or supporting them to prevent an admission into hospital. Our focus is on enabling safe and timely discharge, followed by continued care and assessment in the community. Wherever possible Adults will be supported to return to their home for assessment. The team support people pre and post hospital discharge, providing you with a wider range of experiences to support your professional growth, skills and knowledge as a practitioner.

The role also supports the Transfer of Care Hub (TOCH) for Colchester, Clacton and Harwich hospitals, as well as our Essex residents that require support for discharge that may be out of area. The role requires sound knowledge and confident decision-making skills which are evidence and legislation based. The role also encompasses hospital-based safeguarding as well as community lead safeguards, this supports continued learning and risk mitigation in our communities and hospitals. The role is vibrant, busy, rewarding and will expand your knowledge, understanding and practice ability. Professional curiosity and the ability to work flexibly in a fast-paced changing environment are essential.

The team operates on a 7-day rota basis, you will be required to work one weekend in six and a share of bank holidays for which you will receive a 6% flat rate allowance in addition to the basic annual salary.

About You

You should be a qualified social worker with current Social Work England registration and be post-qualified 2 years with an in-depth knowledge of complex cases and The Care Act. We require a proactive and passionate social worker; you’ll bring significant experience of social work, modelling good practice and providing advice and guidance in complex situations and supporting other staff members. A worker who wants to develop, you should have a comprehensive understanding of current legislation, regulations and guidance.

With experience of chairing meetings involving clients, family members, carers and other multi-agency professionals, we’re looking for your ability to develop strong relationships with partner agencies and the local community to provide a supportive framework for the people we work with.

You’ll also bring:

Evidence of continuing professional development and capability of practice in accordance with current professional standards.
The ability to make clear decisions, to highlight and limit potential risks associated with intervention.
Safeguarding experience, examples of risk mitigation and professional curiosity.

Our Social Worker roles involve travelling around Essex. A driving licence and car - or the ability to meet the mobility requirements of the role through other means - is essential.

Why Join Us?

In June 2025, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) rated our Adult Social Care services as “Good” with a score of 73%

“The local authority had a good structure and processes in place to enable people to be supported successfully, and support people to remain independent and live healthy lives. The workforce was passionate about supporting people to achieve these outcomes and the local authority had good knowledge of their area, the people living there and the demographics.”

You can read the full report on the CQC website here.

Our teams are busy but warm, friendly and supportive. Our fabulous team managers will help you manage your workload and develop your practice.

We take your career just as seriously as you do, and we have a continuing professional development offer that’s second to none.

We welcome diversity because it makes us grow and we’re determined to become a fully inclusive and an anti-racist organisation.

What We Offer

We’ll support you to be your best and will offer:

Ongoing opportunities for continuing professional development
Flexible working options
Employee wellbeing and counselling
Lease Car scheme
Life assurance of three times annual salary
Local Government Pension Scheme. View Key Facts and FAQ’s about the LGPS.
Volunteering leave
27 days annual leave (plus bank holidays), rising with service
Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) - access to free and confidential information, support, and guidance from a team of highly qualified professionals.
Employee Networks – communities to support you, connect you and help influence change at ECC
Payment of your Social Work England registration fees!

Whatever you want to achieve in your social work career, you can do it here.

*T&Cs Apply.

Apply now.

For more information contact Abbie.Mollison@essex.gov.uk

In February 2025, Greater Essex was accepted onto the Government’s devolution priority programme, which will see local authorities in Essex work towards establishing a Mayoral Combined County Authority by May 2026. You can read more about devolution and local government reorganisation (LGR)) on our careers site

Essex County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Leader. We’re committed to interview all disabled applicants who choose to apply under our Job Interview Scheme if they meet the minimum requirements of the job. Please speak to our Recruiters if you require any reasonable adjustments during the process. We’re also committed to interview all veterans and care leavers, who meet the minimum requirements of the role for which they are applying.

Once you’ve secured your role within Essex County Council you will receive many great employee benefits, including support for unpaid carers and flexible working arrangements to accommodate their needs.

At Essex County Council, we value integrity and ethical behaviour. We kindly ask that you embrace our code of conduct and the Nolan principles, including throughout the recruitment process. Your commitment to these standards helps us maintain a positive and respectful workplace for everyone.

As part of employment with Essex County Council (ECC) should your role require a DBS check you will be required to register with the DBS update service. The DBS update service ensures all registered DBS certificates are kept up to date and allows authorised parties to view the status of your certificate. This is an annual subscription, and you will be responsible for ensuring this is maintained. For further information on the DBS update service please go to https://www.gov.uk/dbs-update-service.

Essex County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults, and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.

If you would like to be kept up to date on other relevant opportunities, blogs, news, events and industry related news at Essex County Council, please join The Essex Talent Community

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